Patrick A. “Pat” Taylor

He was born Oct. 7, 1952, in La Porte, Ind., the son of Robert and Helen Taylor.

He grew up in La Porte, where he attended St. Peter’s Catholic Grade School and graduated from La Porte High School. Wanting to further his education, he attended St. Francis College in Fort Wayne, Ind. Pat later earned a master’s degree from Northern Illinois University.

In the 1970s, Pat often visited his brother, Joe, in Palatine, Ill., and the young lady who lived across the street caught his eye. Nine years later, Pat married Bev on Aug. 23, 1980. For the next 31 years, Pat would faithfully stand by her. Five years later, they were blessed with their first child, Aimee. In the years that followed, Pat and Beverly would welcome Jim, Dan and Katie into their lives.

They made their home in St. Charles for a time before moving to Virgil and finally, in 1994, came to make their home in Elburn.

Pat had a love for education and history. He began his teaching career at East Aurora High School in 1980 and would spend 13 years there teaching social studies. With an opportunity to work closer to home, Pat became a social studies teacher at St. Charles East High School, where he continued until the end of January.

Pat was a faithful parishioner of St. Gall Parish in Elburn, where on Saturday evenings he would devote his time to the church as an usher.

Pat had a special place in his heart for sports, especially his beloved Notre Dame Fighting Irish. He became very excited whenever tickets made their way into his hands. His love for sports extended beyond the Fighting Irish to his Chicago Bears and Cubs. His interest in sports did not stop there, however. Whenever he had the opportunity to coach his children, whether it was baseball or basketball, he would be there. Pat also had a passion for tennis, which he not only enjoyed playing, but teaching others to play, as well.

If Pat was not spending time coaching or watching one of his beloved teams, he was spending time with his family. He enjoyed taking vacations, especially time in a cottage overlooking a lake. You would often find him out on the porch with his family playing cards or board games. In the background, you would hear some of his favorite artists playing. You could still hear the echoes of the Beatles, The Eagles, Simon and Garfunkel, and Crosby, Stills and Nash. Pat and his family enjoyed spending time at numerous cottages, but Door County, Wis., was where they spent most of their vacations together. Pat enjoyed the simple pleasures and beauty in life. He spent endless hours in the garden growing flowers or would lose himself in books, particularly historical fiction. Those who knew Pat well knew that his interesting sense of humor was like no other.

Visitation was held Sunday, Feb. 26, at Conley Funeral Home, 116 W. Pierce St., Elburn. A funeral mass celebrating his life was held Monday, Feb. 27, at St. Gall Catholic Church, Elburn. Fr. Dennis Morrissy, pastor of The Church of St. Mary of Assumption in Maple Park, officiated the funeral.

Memorials in Patrick’s name may be made to the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation. Checks may be made to Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF) and mailed to 383 Main Ave., 5th Floor, Norwalk, CT 06815, on the web at www.themmrf.org, or mailed in care of P.O. Box 66, Elburn, 60119. Tributes may be forwarded to the family through P.O. Box 66, Elburn, IL 60119, or on the web at www.conleycare.com.